Of all the inspiring aspects of PK Sherpa, I’d like to share his story in the Qomolangma region—collecting undissolvable waste left above the death zone—a true act of love for the environment, rewarded by the piles of old rusty cans he kept at home as “trophies.” I can still recall the emotions in his eyes as he explained to me how a single piece of plastic could melt the snow beneath it.
In the documentary he made for their(other sherpas and him) project collecting trash above 7,000 meters, he didn’t mention one more remarkable gesture that he followed a vegetarian diet. Can one imagine undertaking such a grueling mission without meat to benefit physical strength? Well, I guess true strength also comes from spirit and humanity that his environmental and animal awareness helped sustain his journey.
And it inspired me to undertake the EBC three-pass trek on a vegetarian diet. I collected cigarette butts along the way left by careless trekkers. Haha, I still remember some nights when I reached the teahouse and put all those into a trash can, people laughed in disbelief – “Did you smoke 100 cigs a day?”
Compared to PK, I have done nothing much after all. Yet precisely these small acts, which can be done by most, shouldn’t be left unnoticed by most.